Back Exercises For Disc Problems - Avoid Set-Backs With These Simple Instructions

Exercises for a back disc are an essential part of any healing program. However, an individual dealing with a herniated disc needs to proceed with caution when it comes to exercises, because there is a good possibility that you could aggravate your symptoms if you don’t follow some simple rules.

This article will cover some specific back disc exercises, as well as some basic tips and rules you will need to follow for the best results. Before we can cover this information, we need to briefly talk about how the spinal discs work so the exercises we talk about will make sense.

The discs of the spine are cushions that separate each set of vertebrae in the back. They are composed of a strong outer covering called the annulus, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus.

The nucleus is very important for our discussion about back exercises for a back disc, because this is where the spinal discs store oxygen and nutrients for efficient healing.

If you’ve been dealing with this health problem for any period of time, you’ve probably heard your doctor tell you that a herniated disc is a very difficult condition to heal, and tends to be quite stubborn. This is because the discs of the spine do not have a very good blood supply going to them.

The body normally relies on blood for transporting oxygen and nutrients to an injured area for faster healing, so without normal blood supply, the injured disc has to find another way to bring oxygen and nutrients for healing. One of the exercises we’ll talk about will help with this, but for now, just realize that the nucleus of the disc is going to be very important for this.

A herniated disc occurs when the strong outer covering tears, and the jelly begins to move into the weak area of the disc. This creates a bulge, which will tend to apply pressure to the spinal nerves.

This is actually why a herniated disc can be such a painful condition – the nerves of the spine control everything in the body, and they are very sensitive to any type of pressure. This is also why the symptoms of a disc condition are not usually limited to the back – the pain and dysfunction will tend to radiate because of the nerves involved.

Now, there’s one more concept I would like to talk about before we talk more specifically about back exercises for a back disc. There is one movement in particular that will make a herniated disc worse, so this motion needs to be avoided at all costs when learning and utilizing back disc exercises.

The movement I’m referring to is flexion and twisting at the same time. For example – if your herniated disc is in your low back, you would never want to bend forward at the waist and twist at the same time. The same is true with the neck – you would never want to bend your head forward and turn your head to the side at the same time.

This position is where the discs are weakest, so you need to avoid it at all costs. What does this have to do with your exercise routine? Well, there are certain exercises that place your back in this position – especially certain abdominal exercises.

A common exercise to work the abdominal muscles on the sides is to do a sit up while rotating at the waist. Sure, this exercise will target those muscles, but you are placing a lot of stress on the discs of the lower back at the same time. So, if you are suffering with a herniated disc, this type of exercise needs to be eliminated from your routine.

It’s important that you review your current exercise program and look for any exercises that place your back in this position. Avoiding them will go a long way in helping your disc heal.

Let’s talk more specifically now about exercises for a back disc. I’ll be teaching you a simple routine that will help you, no matter where your injured disc is located (in other words, you can use these exercises whether the problem is in your neck, middle back, or low back).

Before you perform any form of exercise, you need to begin with a warm up. There are two simple exercises you can do that will not only help you warm up, but are also incredibly beneficial for a herniated disc.

The first exercise I would encourage you to do is to march in place on a mini-trampoline. A mini-trampoline is just a small trampoline (usually 3 – 4 feet wide), and can be purchased at a sports store (such as Sportmart).

I want to be very clear that I do not recommend that you jump on the trampoline – all you want to do is stand in the center of the trampoline, keep your head looking straight forward and your arms at your side, and simply march in place for 5 minutes each day.

This exercise forces your body to balance, which strengthens and warms up the small muscles surrounding the back. These muscles are very important for providing support to an injured disc, which is why it will help with your condition.

After you perform this exercise, I would encourage you to do a simple exercise using a therapy ball. A therapy ball is one of those large balls you see in health clubs or physical therapy clinics. Simply sit on the ball, keep your head looking straight forward and your arms to your side, and gently bounce up and down for 5 minutes each day. I want to stress that the bouncing should be performed gently – do not get crazy with this, or you could aggravate your condition.

This exercise pumps each disc in your back, which transports new oxygen and nutrients into the disc for faster healing. This is the exercise I was referring to earlier when we were discussing how significant the jelly in the center of the disc is.

Finally, let’s talk about stretching and strengthening exercises. Stretches should be performed every day, while strengthening exercises should only be performed 3 days per week. These should always be performed after you have done the first 2 exercises we just covered.

This article is too short to give you specific stretches and back disc exercises, but you can get more details, as well as specific stretches and exercises by clicking here (exercises for a bulging disc).

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